In October 2012 the Library of Congress’s Copyright Office made a decision which gave consumers 90 days to unlock their handsets without carrier permission, and in January cellphone unlocking became illegal. This was followed by a petition to the White House which got over 114,000 signatures and the response also came. Now, a bill has been proposed by a US senator to legalize phone unlocking for using it on other networks.

Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said via Twitter, “You bought it, you should be able to use it. My Wireless Device Independence Act ensures you can unlock your device“. The proposed bill is for amending Section 1201(a)(1)(B) of title 17 of the United States Code which deals with circumvention of copyright protection systems.

And more responses have come in:

Rep. Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat: “The ban on unlocking cell phones puts consumers in the back seat when it comes to choosing the mobile device and service that best suits them. Competition and consumer choice are equally fundamental to a vibrant mobile marketplace, which is why I intend to introduce legislation eliminating the ban on unlocking cell phones and other mobile devices“.

Sen. Patrick Leahy: “I agree with the Administration that consumers should have the flexibility to use their devices on any network they choose, provided they comply with the terms of service. I intend to work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to restore users’ ability to unlock their phones and provide them with the choice and freedom that we have all come to expect in the digital era“.

FCC: “The FCC is examining this issue, looking into whether the agency, wireless providers, or others should take action to preserve consumers’ ability to unlock their mobile phones. I also encourage Congress to take a close look and consider a legislative solution“.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2013/03/07/bill-cell-phone-unlock/feed/0Hackers Can Easily Track Your Mobile Phone, Says Study (Video)http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/02/17/hackers-can-easily-track-your-mobile-phone-says-study-video/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/02/17/hackers-can-easily-track-your-mobile-phone-says-study-video/#commentsFri, 17 Feb 2012 19:18:23 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=129504If you have nightmares about being watched, this will be your worst ever. Your mobile phone, the thing that you carry around almost everywhere, might be giving away your location to hackers. According to a new study, anyone with a cheap phone and open source software can easily track the location of a mobile phone (on GSM network, which provides service to 80 percent of the global mobile market) without the owner ever knowing about it.

If you have nightmares about being watched, this will be your worst ever. Your mobile phone, the thing that you carry around almost everywhere, might be giving away your location to hackers. According to a new study, anyone with a cheap phone and open source software can easily track the location of a mobile phone (on GSM network, which provides service to 80 percent of the global mobile market) without the owner ever knowing about it.

Computer scientists from the University of Minnesota conducted a study and found out that it is an easy task for a third party to track the location of a cell phone user as long as the networks “leak” the locations of users.

Ph.D. student Denis Foo Kune says, “Cell phone towers have to track cell phone subscribers to provide service efficiently. For example, an incoming voice call requires the network to locate that device so it can allocate the appropriate resources to handle the call. Your cell phone network has to at least loosely track your phone within large regions in order to make it easy to find it“.

What a cell phone tower does is that it will broadcast a page to a phone and then wait for the phone to respond to a call. A hacker can easily force those messages to go out and then hang up before the handset rings. The researchers say that it is possible to track a device within an area of 100 square km just by checking out those messages.

And what are the threats, you ask? The researchers were talking about a few possible ones: “For example, agents from an oppressive regime may no longer require cooperation from reluctant service providers to determine if dissidents are at a protest location. A second example could be the location test of a prominent figure by a group of insurgents with the intent to cause physical harm for political gain. Yet another example could be thieves testing if a user’s cell phone is absent from a specific area and therefore deduce the risk level associated with a physical break-in of the victim’s residence“.

But they are saying that a few low-cost techniques which require no hardware changes can solve the problem. They are currently in talks with AT&T and Nokia regarding the matter.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/02/17/hackers-can-easily-track-your-mobile-phone-says-study-video/feed/0Infographic: What are old cell phones really worth?http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/26/infographic-what-are-old-cell-phones-really-worth/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/26/infographic-what-are-old-cell-phones-really-worth/#commentsMon, 26 Sep 2011 15:19:44 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=121723uSell.com has just released an interesting infographic that approaches this very topic. They estimate that 143 million used cell phones will be thrown away or stored this year in the United States alone.

]]>We live in a very consumer-minded society and we all lust after the latest in gadgets and technology. Why else would you be reading sites like Mobile Magazine? But what about that older cell phone you have lingering in the back of your closet or in the bottom of your drawer? What about that old cell phone you just threw away?

uSell.com has just released an interesting infographic that approaches this very topic. They estimate that 143 million used cell phones will be thrown away or stored this year in the United States alone. These are phones that aren’t being utilized at all. Based on this, uSell estimates that these phones could be converted into $3.5 billion in cash.

This is based on the assumption that the average used cell phone is worth $50, but I’m not sure how they came to that number. I’m pretty sure my old Motorola Z6W isn’t going to fetch $50 on the open market. Even my (marginally newer and smarter) Nokia E71 probably wouldn’t get that. By the same accord, uSell is also saying that an iPhone 4 with “average wear” would “fetch up to $178 today.” Somehow, I think an average iPhone 4 might be worth more than that.

UPDATE (09/27/11)

I got an email from the folks at Usell with some clarification about the infographic above. It reads:

Each year, a number of cell phones reach the end of their “first lives.” At this point, the owner must decide whether to discard, recycle, resell, or store the product. In order to determine the number of cell phones that will end their first lives over the next five years, it is necessary to first project cell phone sales into the future. This can be done by examining historical cell phone sales numbers. According to the EPA, cell phone sales grew 14% annually from 2000-2007 from 72 million units in 2000 to 182 million units in 2007. The EPA has not updated its figures beyond 2007, but using a conservative (10%) growth rate we can calculate that 200 million cell phones will be sold in 2008, 220 in 2009, 242 in 2010 and 266 in 2011, and so on.

Assuming that an average phone reaches the end of it’s first life after approximately two years, a phone that was purchased in 2009 would reach the end of its first use cycle by 2011, a phone that was purchased in 2010 would do so in 2012, and so on. Using this methodology, one can estimate the number of cell phones ending their first lives in each of the years from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, using the EPA’s recent e-waste study, the following assumptions can be made for the destinations of cell phones after their first lives:

Using this data, one can estimate the volumes of used cell phones that will end up either landfilled, recycled, resold, and stored. In 2011, of the 220 million cell phones sold in 2009 reaching second life in 2011, 88 million will be landfilled, 22 million will be recycled, 55 million will be resold and 55 million will be stored (i.e. placed in a drawer).

From there, we took the amount that will be thrown away, plus the amount that will be stored, to get our 143 million phones that will go to waste in 2011 alone. We then used a conservative $25 average per used phone, though most estimate that the average is closer to $50 per phone, to arrive at a very conservative estimated potential value of $3.5 billion. [Note: Not all phones are worth $50, that is correct (your Motorola Z6W sadly has no value), but that is the average.]

As to your second question, $178 is the highest offer available today through uSell.com’s partners for a 16 GB iPhone 4 with average wear (ie not in perfect condition). Yes, the phone would likely fetch a higher figure through other channels (such as riskier peer-to-peer Craigslist and eBay) however uSell works only with trusted industry leaders in purchasing, refurbishing, and reselling cell phones and other electronic devices. These partners all have strong track records with consumers through their honesty in advertising, customer service, and their support of ethical business practices.

Beyond that, consumers selling their device through uSell.com means that they are protected by our 100% Max Cash Guarantee. If a consumer finds a better deal on through another national buyer of electronics within 24 hours of selling their device on uSell.com, uSell’s 100% Max Cash Guarantee means that we will pay them the difference.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/26/infographic-what-are-old-cell-phones-really-worth/feed/0Modu claims to be world’s lightest cell phone, now selling in the UKhttp://www.mobilemag.com/2010/07/15/modu-claims-to-be-worlds-lightest-cell-phone-now-selling-in-the-uk/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/07/15/modu-claims-to-be-worlds-lightest-cell-phone-now-selling-in-the-uk/#commentsThu, 15 Jul 2010 16:22:10 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=88607No, that's not another generic MP3 player waiting to be hawked on eBay. What you are looking at is the Modu phone, and it is indeed a cell phone that claims to be the world's lightest yet.It doesn't really have access to a vast app store, and it probably isn't your best bet for checking email on the go, but this is about as compact as it gets in the world of mobile phones.

No, that’s not another generic MP3 player waiting to be hawked on eBay. What you are looking at is the Modu phone, and it is indeed a cell phone that claims to be the world’s lightest yet.

It doesn’t really have access to a vast app store, and it probably isn’t your best bet for checking email on the go, but this is about as compact as it gets in the world of mobile phones. As it stands, the Modu phone has already launched in Israel and it has just now been released in the UK too.

The specs are understandably anemic. It can take calls, send messages, and play music from its 2GB of internal memory. There is no touchscreen, no expandable memory, and no camera. You can, however, throw on some of the available “jackets” for additional functionality. The night jacket has a 3.2MP cam and the sport jacket has a pedometer. A photo album doubles as a dock and can display JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG while playing music.

You can find the Modu phone available through the Purely Gadgets online store for 130 quid, tossing in extra 50 pounds or so for the different cases and jackets. If you want more, you might want to wait for the rumored Modu 2 with its touchscreen, 3G, and maybe even a QWERTY keyboard.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/07/15/modu-claims-to-be-worlds-lightest-cell-phone-now-selling-in-the-uk/feed/0Prison Cell Phone Jamming Approved by US Senatehttp://www.mobilemag.com/2009/10/08/prison-cell-phone-jamming-approved-by-us-senate/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/10/08/prison-cell-phone-jamming-approved-by-us-senate/#commentsThu, 08 Oct 2009 20:20:13 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=66781There’s been this ongoing debate about whether it is lawful to jam cell phone signals in jails and prisons across the United States. It turns out that people are sneaking prepaid cell phones into jails and the prisoners are using them to communicate with the outside world without permission. Rather than try to figure out […]

]]> There’s been this ongoing debate about whether it is lawful to jam cell phone signals in jails and prisons across the United States. It turns out that people are sneaking prepaid cell phones into jails and the prisoners are using them to communicate with the outside world without permission.

Rather than try to figure out how to stop the contraband from getting in, the people running the prisons wanted to use cell phone jamming technology so that the handsets wouldn’t work within the prison walls. This sounded like a decent idea, but civilians living in the vicinity of jails were concerned that their phones would be jammed too.

Well, the long and the short of it is that the US Senate has indeed approved the use of cell phone jammers in jails and prisons. The Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 allows the FBI and state governors to block cellular signals inside prisons.

The caveat is that the prisons cannot use these jamming devices to interfere with legitimate communications in the area. In applying to the FCC, they’ll need to be very specific with where and how the signals will be blocked.

In the meantime, the bill still needs to be ratified by the House and signed by President Obama, so I guess they still have time to iron out some details.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/10/08/prison-cell-phone-jamming-approved-by-us-senate/feed/2The Snuggie for Gadget Geekshttp://www.mobilemag.com/2009/09/18/the-snuggie-for-gadget-geeks/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/09/18/the-snuggie-for-gadget-geeks/#commentsFri, 18 Sep 2009 19:47:59 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=66308By now, you’ve surely heard about the Snuggie. It’s that crazy blanket with sleeves that is supposed to be great for keeping you warm while you watch television or curl up with a good book. Among the many problems with this idea is the lack of love for the gadget geeks in the audience, so […]

]]>By now, you’ve surely heard about the Snuggie. It’s that crazy blanket with sleeves that is supposed to be great for keeping you warm while you watch television or curl up with a good book. Among the many problems with this idea is the lack of love for the gadget geeks in the audience, so someone has come up with a Snuggie alternative that better suits our infatuation with technology.

You don’t want to hold your iPod while you are listening to it, right? That’s where this new travel blanket seems to come into play. It seems to be a similar idea to the Snuggie, except it has pockets built into it for holding MP3 players, cell phones, and other kinds of portable electronics.

From what I can gather, this travel blanket is being designed largely for people on commuter flights and the like, but there’s no reason why you can’t use this from the comfort of your living room or even on the bus if that’s what you want to do.

You know, aside from the very real possibility that you could be teased, abused, and ridiculed for traveling around wearing a blanket with sleeves and pockets. Just put on more clothes, won’t you? The pocket-touting blanket sells for $28.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/09/18/the-snuggie-for-gadget-geeks/feed/0Why I Abandoned My Landline Telephonehttp://www.mobilemag.com/2009/07/10/why-i-abandoned-my-landline-telephone/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2009/07/10/why-i-abandoned-my-landline-telephone/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2009 21:53:42 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=65099This might go without saying since I write for a site focused on mobile technology, but I am not a fan of wires and cables. If they were able to make everything in my life completely wireless, I would be much happier for it. You don’t want to see the back of my television, as […]

]]>This might go without saying since I write for a site focused on mobile technology, but I am not a fan of wires and cables. If they were able to make everything in my life completely wireless, I would be much happier for it. You don’t want to see the back of my television, as it is crowded with two gaming consoles, a modem, router, NAS, and a plethora of other cable-connected devices. Not pretty.

Continuing with my quest to cut all the cables and wires in my life, I have long since abandoned my reliance on a landline telephone. Instead, my primary means of telephone communication comes by way of my cell phone. I’m not a big chatter, so I don’t feel the need for VoIP to pick up the slack.

Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness

The single greatest reason why I have decided to abandon my landline is that I want to save some money. I cannot justify the cost of maintaining a telephone line that I will rarely use and one that can easily be supplanted by another line that I’m going to keep either way: my cell phone.

Cost will vary according to a number of different factors, but a basic traditional telephone line connected to your home will cost you twenty bucks or more a month. That translates to well over $200 a year and I’d rather spend that $200 on something else.

Naturally, people who choose to talk for hours on end may find that it is more cost-effective to use a conventional phone line. Then again, if you’re going to talk mostly in the evenings and weekends, there are several cell phone plans that give you unlimited minutes during those time periods. My plan has that.

What About 911 and Long Distance?

These are the two most common rebuttals that people offer when they say that you shouldn’t abandon your landline altogether. The 911 service offers huge peace of mind, because the operators can determine your location even if you don’t say a word. Should something happen, you can dial 911 and run away. Help should be on the way.

However, technology for cell phones is vastly improving in this area and you don’t have to worry about losing service during power outages. Generally speaking, most cellular operators have backup power, so your phone should still be operational. They can also estimate your location based on cell tower triangulation, but yes, I understand that this is nowhere near as good as the definite location of a landline. I’m not concerned though.

For long distance, traditionalists will tell you that you can’t beat the landline plans that you can get. I beg to differ. You have to jump through a couple of extra hoops, but you can get cheap long distance on your cell phone too. Canadians can use Yak, for instance. American providers oftentimes offer free nationwide mobile-to-mobile too.

Freeing Up My Location

I guess a part of this has to do with my lifestyle choice. As a professional freelance writer, I am able to work from anywhere I have an Internet connection. I am not bound to a single location and I like it that way. A cell phone lets me do that.

With a basic long distance plan through my wireless carrier, paired with Yak service as needed, I am free to travel Canada without having to change my number or alter a landline service. I keep my “main” Vancouver number wherever I go.

So Much More Than Just a Phone

The options when it comes to landline telephones are certainly improving. We’ve gone from wired phones to cordless phones. We have portable caller ID, easy voicemail service, and even picture ID if we want it. However, none of these can compare to what cell phones can do these days.

Rocking a smartphone, I am able to do a lot more than any conventional landline telephone can offer. I can surf the web, check my email, update to-do lists, play games, and more. And, as mentioned, it doesn’t matter where I am, because my cell phone will still work.

If you are concerned about dropped calls in your concrete jungle, there are Bluetooth gateway devices to consider. Those are a better option than paying for both a landline and a cell phone line, I’d say.